5 minutes with Neil James Hogan

1. What did you study at RMIT and what attracted you to that program?

I did a BA in Creative Writing, and Hons in Media and Communication. I was attracted to learning new techniques in writing, and updating myself on what people wrote about these days. I did Hons to learn the kinds of skills not addressed in a BA and prepare myself for doing a PhD.

2. What is your business all about?

Publishing the anthology Alien Dimensions: Space Fiction Short Stories Anthology Series, featuring short stories by new and established space fiction writers from around the world.

3. Where do you see your business in 10 years’ time?

No plans to change anything until 2027 (when I finish my PhD), then the business will be revamped to accept novel submissions from around the world, publishing a new space fiction novel every week (while I look for a job in academia in digital humanities or science fiction studies).

4. How has studying at RMIT prepared you to run your business?

Erasure of my imposter syndrome. Resilience to feedback. Skills on how to give feedback. Better recognition of the difference between a good story and a great story - All useful for interacting with other authors, organising contracts, editing and rejecting submissions and producing a sellable product.

5. What advice would you have offered yourself when you first started your business?

Don’t stress so much about sending rejection letters. There’s no need to critique every story you read. There’s no need to reply to every email. There’s no need to stick to a publishing deadline if there aren’t enough stories to make an anthology, just delay it until there are.

6. Which authors inspire you? 

Different every year. Greg Bear, Larry Niven, Piers Anthony, Stephen Baxter, Hal Clements, Catherine Asaro, Martha Wells, C. J. Cherryh and many more!